
The test of a great city is this. Are you haunted with doubt as to whether you live in the right part of it? When in Islington, I think, “I should live here.” When in Soho, I think, “I should live here.” When in Chelsea, I think, “This isn’t so far from Marylebone. I should live there.” So off I go to Zoopla to assess my options, toying with the postcodes and price ranges as though fondling mangoes in a market for optimal ripeness. I have no intention of moving but regard endless choice as a birthright.
衡量一座偉大城市的標準在于此:你是否總在懷疑自己住的地段是否對?我在伊斯靈頓時會想,“我該住在這兒。”到了蘇活區(Soho)又想,“我該住在這兒。”到了切爾西(Chelsea),我會想,“離馬里波恩(Marylebone)也不遠嘛。我該住那里。”于是我便去Zoopla上盤算選擇,撥弄著郵編和價位,仿佛在集市里把玩芒果,尋找最佳成熟度。我并沒有搬家的打算,卻把無窮無盡的選擇當作與生俱來的權利。